ANANTAPUR: Three inscriptions, two in Telugu and one in Kannada, were unearthed at the 1,000-year-old Nidimamadi Samsthanam in Nidimamidi village in Puttaparthi mandal in Anantapur district on Friday.
Historian Mynaswamy identified the inscriptions as belonging to the Vijayanagara empire in the 15th century. The Nidimamidi Samsthanam, part of the Veerashiva Peetham, has branches in Kanchi, Hampi, Gulur and Penukonda areas.
The pontiffs shifted to Gulur, where main peetham of Nidimamidi sits, along with the Nandi, Veerabhadra Swamy and Lord Vishnu temples. The ancient temple and structures were in dilapidated state and most of the lands were encroached upon.
Historian Mynaswamy said that one inscription, in Kannada, was Nandi Sasanam found in the Lord Veerabahdra Swamy temple premises.
“The inscription reveals that there was a Nandi idol that was being offered poojas prior to the 15th century. The Veerabhadra Swamy temple was built between 1524 and 1546, during the second Devarayalu period where Chandrabhushana Swamy was the rajguru,” Mynaswamy told Deccan Chronicle.
The second inscription, in Telugu, was spotted on a big stone at the Dalit colony in Nidimamidi. It was carved when Sadashivarayalu was king and Aliyaramaraya was the Vijayanagara emperor, after 1542. The Telugu inscription highlights the Veerabhadra Swamy temple construction and names the kings Sadashivarayalu and Ramarayalu along with the efforts of their representative Dalavyi Jangamiah.
The third inscription, also in Telugu, was found on a big stone in an agriculture field on the outskirts of the village. This was dated to 1608 and attributed to the Vijayanagar emperor Venkatapathi Rayalu and his representative Bangaru Nayakudu, Mynaswamy said.
He added that the Nidimamdi Samsthanam was established to protect Indian culture and tradition. The inscriptions highlight Penukonda, the Vijayanagara empire’s summer capital. He said the archeological department should protect the inscriptions by shifting them to the temple premises and developing the site.
